As I am constantly on a quest to discover my new favorite song or band, one of my favorite things about the semi-recent Spotify update is their assortment of AI-generated, personalized playlists. Based on either mood, genre or a combination of the two, the playlists are generated from songs in your liked library. But as with anything related to AI, there are bound to be some less-than-normal results. From strange combinations to hyperspecific genres, here is my power ranking of the top strange Spotify mixes.

Chill milk mix

Milk must be some sort of unknown music genre, right? I’ve searched high and low but can’t find any details on what a “chill milk mix” must entail. This is the playlist that spurred the idea for this power ranking, as it caught my eye while I was scrolling through the various “chill mixes” that Spotify provides. The playlist consists of artists such as Still Woozy, Mild High Club, Dominic Fike and other artists I generally enjoy, so despite the strange name, I’m not complaining. 

Egg punk mix

This playlist caught my attention because of the strangeness of the name, and I actually was able to find some information about this genre. According to WIDR FM, egg punk “combines the manic weirdness of DEVO with hardcore punk rock. There also appears to be a meme-y rivalry between chain punk and egg punk, as chain punk is apparently more traditional, hardcore punk while egg punk is more experimental and mild. 

South Carolina mandolin mix

Talk about hyperspecificity. I don’t think I’ve ever listened to mandolin music in my life, let alone South Carolina mandolin music. For some reason the algorithm thought this would be my vibe, and I honestly can’t complain. After listening to a couple of funky solos and drawing vocal choruses from this playlist, I’ve been converted into a South Carolina mandolin fan. 

Wednesday mix

I’m not exactly sure what it is about Phantogram, Alex Cameron and Wallows that’s essentially “Wednesday,” but according to the Spotify AI, these are the best musicians to provide a soundtrack for my hump day. There’s a playlist for every day of the week, too, which is perfect for musically-indecisive folk like myself. Some of the day-of-the-week playlists even feature songs that relate to that specific day, such as “Friday I’m in Love” on the Friday mix and “Saturday Night’s Alright” on the Saturday mix.

Evil mix

This is the one strange mix that I find myself constantly going back to. Think top of the world, angsty villain type of vibes. For me, it includes songs like “Choke” by IDKHBTFM, “Crybaby” by Destroy Boys and an incredible amount of Will Wood. It’s the perfect playlist for all of your mischievous schemes. In the spirit of this mix, I’ve also discovered that there is a Vampire mix, Witchcore mix, Spooky evil jazz mix and a Fast clown music mix. 

My personal favorite feature about Spotify mixes is that they’re customized to your own personal music taste. They take songs from your library and mix them in with songs you may have never heard. They’re a fantastic tool for discovering new music while still listening to the songs you love. I’d recommend exploring some of these mixes for yourself- maybe you’ll discover your new favorite subgenre!